käändepäevade

Käändepäevade is a term that appears in some Estonian linguistic discussions to refer to the system of inflectional endings that mark grammatical case on words such as nouns, adjectives, and pronouns. The phrase combines käände (case or inflection) with päevade (days in the genitive plural) and is used metaphorically to describe patterns of how endings change to express syntactic function. It is not a universally standardized label across all grammars, and its exact usage can vary between textbooks and scholarly works.

In practice, käändepäevade denotes the idea that Estonian uses a rich case system with distinct endings that signal roles such as subject, object, possession, location, and direction. The endings attach to word stems and interact with phonological processes, vowel harmony, and consonant alternations, producing a range of surface forms for different cases and numbers. The concept is often employed to help learners grasp that different grammatical functions are expressed through systematic endings, and to facilitate comparison of declension patterns across noun and adjective classes.

Applications and context: The term is sometimes used in introductory grammar, language pedagogy, and historical or comparative linguistics to discuss how case endings function, how they evolve, and how they differ from one language to another. Because käändepäevade is not a fixed, widely standardized label, users are advised to consult the specific grammar or academic source in question for exact paradigms and endings. See also Estonian grammar, inflection, and case systems.